Trading Card Games [TCG] and Collectible Card Games [CCG] have become increasingly popular. These games use a pool of playing cards which can be purchased and traded amongst game players. The pool of playing cards includes a plurality of card species. Each species of playing card has a unique combination of characteristics and abilities which can be strategically implemented during game-play. The plurality of card species are typically categorized into three main functional categories: a) character cards; b) power cards; and c) effect cards.
Conventional game-play for TCG and CCG games involves each player drawing, holding, and deploying a series of cards from his or her card deck, and then using these cards to initiate in-game confrontations. Deployment and use of character cards and effects cards typically requires the use of power cards. Use of a card is usually limited to once-per-turn, and thus the use of a card is often accompanied by physical manipulation of the card to indicate its use. The most common indicators of use are the rotation of the card from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation, or moving the card from one game-play zone to a different game-play zone. These methods of indicating use of a card are simple and subtle, and are thus often manipulated by players to cheat or acquire unfair advantages in games. A need exists for more effective ways of indicating use of cards (such as power cards) which are simple and clear, and which prevent cheating and confusion.
In conventional TCG and CCG games, the winner is determined by “life points” or “life pools” for each player. Through in-game confrontations, a player can deplete the life points of an opponent, until that opposing player's life points are fully depleted and the player is removed from the game. These “life points” or “life pools” are discarnate and unembodied numbers. Most TCG and CCG games thus require scoring equipment, such as dice or score-sheets, to track the unembodied life point depletion for each player. The scoring equipment functions only to track life points, and is incidental to the in-game confrontations and overall strategy of the game. Likewise, depletion of life points is a simple matter of addition and subtraction, and requires limited strategic decisions as to how life points will be depleted. A need exists for more effective ways of scoring and score-keeping in TCG and CCG games, including scoring systems which are integrated into the in-game confrontations and overall strategy of the game.
TCG and CCG games are designed around direct player-vs-player confrontations. Gameplay typically involves individual cards of a player being matched against individual cards of an opposing player, with accompanying effect cards enhancing those primary cards. Though joint or team confrontations can exist in these games, the player-vs-player and card-vs-card construct of these games make multi-card and multi-player joint-actions complicated and difficult to implement. These complications are multiplied and magnified as additional teammates or cards are added into the joint confrontation. A need exists for a system of gameplay which is conducive to large numbers of players and cards being used in a joint confrontation.
Most TCG and CCG games use a pool of playing cards which are narrowly designed to implement a specific construct of rules and gameplay. The characteristics and abilities of these cards limit them from application in a broader variety of games. Any integration of different game card collections thus requires complex new rules and complicated gameplay which is not easily facilitated by the characteristics of the cards themselves. A need exists for a Variety Card Game system of playing cards which are tailored to a specific construct of rules and gameplay, but can also be easily combined with a broader range of cards from other Variety Card Games to form a new and unique Variety Card Game construct.